As Chief of Engineers and Commander, US Army Corps of Engineers, Bob led an organization of 37,000 personnel, an annual budget of nearly $16 billion and construction projects in more than 90 countries. Bob also began the military’s $20 billion reconstruction program in Iraq and Afghanistan, working closely with the State Department and global officials on infrastructure and water resources projects. 

Bob also served as the Commanding General of the Maneuver Support Center and Fort Leonard Wood. His other commands include an engineer company in Germany; the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division; the 20th Engineer Brigade, XVIII Corps (Airborne); and the Mississippi Valley Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

In 1996 President Bill Clinton nominated Bob to be President of the Mississippi River Commission. He was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. 

More recently, he served as Director of Federal Programs for ARCADIS, organizing a business strategy that spurred 30% total revenue growth 2008 to 2010. 

An accomplished writer, Bob is an author of the Civil Engineer Vision 2025, a roadmap for the profession. He has also published numerous articles on infrastructure and government service and has been interviewed on CNN, Fox, and Bloomberg. He is a frequent guest speaker at National Leadership Conferences. 

As a result of his leadership, the engineering community created two awards in his honor:

• Robert B. Flowers Sapper Leader Award given annually by the Army Engineer Association to the best team in the annual “Best Sapper” competition held at Fort Leonard Wood; and

• Robert B. Flowers Small Business Award given annually by the Society of American Military Engineers.